Day 1 by Tim Hu
Day 1… I guess the first thing I saw was Tina yelling “Yay We’re back!” and I saw the hope center sign from the pictures and I said to myself… I’m here =D
There’s not much to say for the first night but I have a lot of things to look forward to and to be excited about. I’m working with the 5-6 year olds and I hear they fight sometimes so hehehe gotta worry about that. But the thing that interested me the most was what Mary said to us tonight.
Something about only 10% of kids in DC go to college and how unfair certain things are here. How her oldest daughter was already denied certain good charter schools. Those thoughts just really resonated but also shocked me a bit. College has never been an issue for me personally, I just assumed I would go to college after high school. I never thought about NOT going to college. Apparently the schools in DC are some of the worst and yet I go to one of the best schools in the country (TJ). The difference kind of scares me because I never really think about how lucky and well off I am. A lot of things just shocked me a bit tonight.
I really have alot to think and worry about though tomorrow with how to work with the kids and everything. I just hope that thoughout all this we’ll be able to make a difference. But I have a feeling that for me Little Lights will be a life changing event.
Life just won’t really be the same after all this.
Day 2 by Dana Sheng
Hey all. greetings from the Hope House.
well today was the first day of Camp Heaven! for me, it wasn’t that bad, but for some it was very exhausting.
I had a few high and low points today. My high point was during small group time because i got to have some interactions with the kids. O ya, this year I am with the 7- and 8-year-old girls. One of the low points was when I realized that even though I knew some kids recognized me, they didn’t seem to be close at all anymore, which made me sad, but then I realized that well it is the first day, and also they’re growing up. My other low point was when one of the staff members told us that we can’t just try to love them. we know that we have to discipline them, too. And that was kinda hard for me because my natural instinct is to try to be friends with everyone, and even though I want to discipline I am afraid of being disliked. But overall, I think I am more confident than last summer.
I also realized today that I am taking this whole experience much more seriously than last time. For example, I have been thinking a lot today about how their home environments are affecting their attitudes and behavior. Last time I was more like that’s so sad. Now I find I am analyzing everything more and wondering how to find the right balance between befriending and disciplining them. I have to think about it.
Anyway, an overview of what happened. Since it’s the beginning of the camp, everything today was more about rules. Especially the 11- to 13-year-old girls were supposedly having lots of attitude and not listening. And the 5- and 6-year old girls were fighting a lot already. (Which made me think about how all the kids I know don’t seem to be like that) I feel sorry for the counselors and leaders who have the more troublesome kids, but I guess that is a good learning experience.
So prayer requests: Give everyone the right mindset to be ready to do everything God has set for them and for no one to get discouraged. Help the kids to realize how much everyone is doing for them. Especially Beverly, a counselor, who had a very hard time today with the older girls.
Bon Jon (Jonathan) said @ dinner, which was hilarious by the way because of the eating competition and completely random dinner conversations, it’s the first day and there’s already drama-people are calling each other fat 
Oh and I thank God for Dwayne and Daniel, two students who graduated from high school and went to college and are currently helping at Little Lights- they are good role models for all the kids. My luck to everyone and hope for a fabulous week!
Day 3 by Kyle Lee
The second day of Camp Heaven was nothing like last year.
I saw familiar faces among the counselors, teen counselors, and even some of the kids were the same as last year. The kids may have come back for another year of Camp Heaven, but their attitudes and actions were completely different. Last year the kids were indifferent or totally rebellious to me, but this year under the leadership of one of the year-round staff members, the kids were extremely responsive and open to meeting new people. Sure, there are always a few kids that have to be sent to the time-out table, but this year the kids just responded so much better. Even so, watching the kids interact with each other gives us a stark contrast of behavior just between kids here in D.C. and the kids back at CTPC. Some kids are openly trying to undermine authority while other just want some attention from the councilors, teen councilors, or the visiting councilors. Working with these kids shows us how tough they act in this environment. Knowing that only 10% of these kids will graduate high school and go to college is even more depressing. Knowing that we are here to assist in making a difference in these kids’ lives makes a difference. Pray for our safety, the safety of the kids here, the safety of the councilors, for God to give these councilors wisdom and patience while dealing with these kids, and the kids’ futures as they grow in this community.
Day 3 continued by Jonathan Chiu
At my second day of camp, I had an almost ideal counselor-to-student moment: Sitting on some plush Smithsonian couches, taking in all the A/C, I was talking to D (De’Andre) about my Carmelo colored basketball shorts and he suggested I get matching Carmelo shoes. I asked him how much they cost, and he said “$80″, and I said that’s too much. He asked my how much my glasses were, and I told him, “more than $100″. He said, “why didn’t you just get the Melo’s and skimp out on the glasses?” My response was, “I gotta see dude! I’d rather be able to see than to look cool.” We laughed it off. (more…)
